Bill Contains $4 Million for Hansen Dam, L.A. River : Congress: Conferees earmark the funds for a 15-acre swimming lake and restoration of a two-mile section of the channel.

A massive energy and water bill hammered out by key members of the House and Senate includes more than $2.28 million for a swimming lake at Hansen Dam and $2 million to restore two miles of the Los Angeles River that runs through the Sepulveda Basin.

The measure also contains $500,000 for two studies to determine whether additional water can be conserved from the river and whether other sections of the 58-mile corridor can be transformed into greenbelts for recreational use. The mostly concrete-lined river is a flood control channel.

The money for the San Fernando Valley projects was included by House and Senate conferees in a report released Wednesday. The bill is expected to be passed by both chambers and sent to President Bush for his signature soon.

Both the Hansen Dam lake--part of an ambitious master plan for rejuvenating the moribund area between Lake View Terrace and Pacoima--and the Los Angeles River restoration are long-sought developments. The money is for the 1993 fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1.

The Hansen Dam funds would pay for engineering, design and construction of a 15-acre lake. Construction is scheduled to begin next month. Hansen Dam, like the Sepulveda Basin, is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is also used for flood control.

Residents of the surrounding low- and moderate-income communities believe the dam has been overlooked as a potential recreation area--particularly in contrast to the Sepulveda Basin, which is in more affluent Valley neighborhoods.

“This will allow us to do the swimming lake and a variety of supporting and access facilities,” said Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City), who had the funds inserted in the legislation. “The needs there are enormous.”

In the past, much of the money for the initial work at Hansen Dam was appropriated from a trust fund generated by the sale of silt dredged from the site. This time, the entire sum was “new money” appropriated from the general fund. Berman gained $400,000 from the general fund last year--the first time he won such money.

The $2 million for the basin would restore the Los Angeles River between Burbank and Balboa boulevards, a stretch that is not concrete-lined. The project would involve cleaning up and stabilizing the banks, replanting foliage, constructing a nature path along the river and building launches for small boats.

This is one of three demonstration projects recommended by Mayor Tom Bradley’s river task force.

“We are making a tremendous amount of progress toward turning the Sepulveda Basin into a major attraction for the San Fernando Valley,” said Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles). Beilenson had initially sought $4.5 million for the river renovation but nonetheless said he was “very pleased that our work there will be able to continue.”

One of the two river studies, costing $200,000, would seek to determine improved ways to conserve water from the flood control channel for reuse. Beilenson had requested $500,000 for this project.

The second study, with a $300,000 price tag, would explore the possibility of creating more recreational opportunities, such as bike paths and small parks, along other parts of the river. The legislation requires that a local sponsor, such as the city of Los Angeles or Los Angeles County, contribute a matching sum before the study could proceed.

Beilenson said he was encouraged “that the Army Corps of Engineers will be able to continue exploring ways to better utilize the Los Angeles River and to make it a real asset to our community.”